American Go E-Journal

Cho Hanseung 9P successfully defended his Kuksu title against Lee Sedol 9P on January 13 in Seoul, Korea. This gives him the title for a third consecutive year, as he overcame Choi Cheolhan 9P in the two previous editions. Cho (left) took the first match of the best-of-five clash and then extended his lead to 2-0. Lee fought back in the third round, narrowing the gap to 2-1, but the fourth game proved to be the decider. Cho’s play was clinical. Holding black, he established a strong position in the early game. Lee tried to reduce, but with solid play, Cho maintained his lead throughout. Professional commentators were left somewhat bemused, as it was difficult to find any mistakes in white’s play, a testament to the calm strength shown by Cho in this match. The victory extends a healthy rivalry between the two players. They know each other well, having achieved professional status in the same group in 1995. Lee remains ahead in wins (23-17), but Cho is now ahead 2-1 in finals.- Ben Gale, Korea news correspondent for the E-JournalClick here to download sgf files of the Kuksu game records:2014 Kuksu Round 12014 Kuksu Round 22014 Kuksu Round 32014 Kuksu Round 4